At least six people, including the deputy leader of Hamas, Saleh Arouri, were killed today in an Israeli drone attack in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
The Palestinian group Hamas confirmed the killing of Arouri in Beirut, as well as two commanders of its armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigade.
Lebanon’s National News Agency earlier reported that Arouri was killed in an Israeli drone strike on a Hamas office in Mecherfeh, south of Beirut. The agency reported that at least six people were killed in the attack.
Arouri is the most senior Hamas leader to be killed by Israel since the conflict in Gaza broke out on October 7.
Tensions flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid occasional exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah.
The tension arose in the midst of Israel’s military offensive on the Gaza Strip, following a cross-border attack by Hamas on October 7.
At least 22,185 Palestinians have been killed and 57,035 injured since then, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack, AA writes.
